Eric Church told a story about Morgan Wallen’s late-night phone call, but the newly released bodycam footage shows the real version, and it does not match up.
Back in April 2024, Morgan Wallen was arrested after tossing a chair off the rooftop of Eric Church‘s bar on Broadway. The arrest was a headline-grabber that put Wallen’s name at the top of Fox News the next morning, while Israel and Gaza came in as the second story of the day.
A month later, Church gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times and described the moment he got a phone call from Wallen “from the street” outside his bar. Church painted a picture that suggested Wallen phoned him to admit what he had done. He also implied that he might have asked law enforcement if there was any way to cut Wallen a break.
But the bodycam footage released this week tells a different story.
In the video, Wallen does not confess to throwing the chair. Instead, he calmly calls Church while being detained and says, “These motherfing cops are trying to take me to jail outside your fing bar.” His bodyguard is also heard saying, “I didn’t see him throwing nothing,” which denied that Wallen had done anything wrong.
Moments later, Wallen hands his phone to one of the officers, who explains the situation to Church. The cop can be heard saying, “No, it is not really something that we can do. Law enforcement have to enforce the laws. Gotta treat it like we would with anybody else.” That exchange shows Wallen was not calling to apologize or admit guilt. He was calling to protest his arrest, and Church’s retelling left out those details.
The footage also makes clear that police shut down any hint of special treatment, even with a superstar like Church on the other end of the line. Church’s version of events made it sound like Wallen confessed right away and that the two had a moment of accountability. In reality, Wallen was trying to use his connection with Church to get out of being hauled off.
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The bodycam also shows Wallen’s demeanor throughout the night. Once cuffed and sitting in the back of the patrol car, he was still singing along when a Thomas Rhett song came on the radio. At one point, he even said, “TR is one of the best dudes in the world.”
It was hardly the image of a man weighed down by guilt. Instead, it looked like someone frustrated about being caught up in the moment.
Church later praised Wallen for how he handled things afterward. He noted that the younger star came back to the bar to apologize to the staff. He even suggested that the arrest was a turning point for Wallen, saying, “It was actually a good thing for Mo. I think that was a line for him, and he’s done really well since then.”
Wallen himself has echoed that, saying he stayed out of bars for a year and found peace spending more time outdoors. These days, he says he prefers hunting and being with close friends, away from the spotlight and chaos.
But none of that changes the fact that Church’s telling of the story left out crucial context. Wallen did not call to admit guilt. He called to protest his arrest and put Church in the middle of it.
The cops made it clear they were not budging, and the rest is now on video for the world to see. When country stars get tangled in scandals, the truth always comes out sooner or later. And in this case, it came straight from a police bodycam.
